Bjork - Homogenic

Mon 13th Aug, 2007 in Music Reviews

After making a name for herself with Debut (1993) and Post (1995), Bjork had a distinct vocal, lyrical and musical style for which she was known. But 1997’s Homogenic, her third solo effort, signalled a change in direction for the Icelandic songstress.

While Bjork’s vocal talents had previously been complemented by throbbing dance beats and rich, synthetic instrumentation, the defining feature of Homogenic is its sparse, often ambient soundscapes and sporadic, disjointed beats. Opening track Hunter serves more as a warning sign than anything else, building up to a climax that never quite comes. But it’s more than enough to set the tone for the next 45 minutes.

Homogenic is said to be a reflection of Bjork’s homeland and, if acts like Múm and Sigur Rós later helped define a trademark Icelandic sound, the sounds on this record deserve credit for starting it all; though it meant little at the time, hindsight gives the line “how Scandinavian of me” ( Hunter ) new meaning. Joga, the first single from the record, achieves what Hunter hinted at; its moving string arrangements and arguably the best demonstration of Bjork’s vocal range to date combining to evoke images of the vast, glacial landscapes from which her inspiration came.

But while the more traditional sounds play a huge part, this is still a very modern record, with rumbling drum loops woven into those sounds to create something truly unique. With so few tracks following any typical structure, Bachelorette, the album’s highest-charting single, is the closest Homogenic comes to conventional. At the other end of the scale lies penultimate track Pluto, which employs a frantic, claustrophobic beat that stands out on what is generally a very delicate and carefully arranged album. But while this could easily have spoiled a near-flawless album, Pluto picks up where Hunter left off, and provides the climax the opening track never delivered.

With more emphasis than ever before on her voice as the lead instrument, Bjork’s lyrics play a much more active role than on Debut and Post. Though there is still a degree of naiveté in some of her songwriting, the most gripping moments on Homogenic come when she wears her heart on her sleeve. Bachelorette relates the stark, personal themes back to nature and the Icelandic landscape while 5 Years, Immature and Unravel express anger, vulnerability and frustration before All is Full of Love brings the record to a dreamy, surprisingly reassuring conclusion. And although such an emotive tone running throughout the record may have been a risky move, the dominant themes blend so well with the aesthetic that Homogenic is almost impossible to fault.